Justin Brownlee helped Indonesia's Pelita Jaya advance to the second round of the Basketball Champions League (BCL) Asia Qualifiers. Only two can reach the main tournament, where teams from the KBL, CBA, B.League... and the PBA await.
It's going to be a real bittersweet moment should we see Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player Justin Brownlee play against a PBA team in a FIBA competition.
It hasn't happened yet, but it sure is a possibility with the way things are going for Indonesia's Pelita Jaya.
Brownlee's club already secured a spot in the second round of the Basketball Champions League (BCL) Asia Qualifiers, after beating hosts and Mongolian champions Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos, 89-83.
[ALSO READ: BCL Asia: Efficient Justin Brownlee makes double-double, pushes Pelita Jaya to second round of qualifiers]
Only two teams from the Qualifiers will reach the main BCL Asia competition, where teams from the Korean Basketball League, Chinese Basketball Association, the Japan B.League, and the Philippine Basketball Association have direct berths.
How would Justin Noypi feel like should he have the chance to play against a PBA team?
"I would be torn in a tough place," Brownlee replied regarding the hypothetical situation. "I got a lot of love for everyone in the Philippines and all so [to play] the Filipino team outside of the PBA... oh, man, it'll be tough for me."
"At the same time, you got to compete, no matter who the opponent is," he added in an interview with FIBA's BCL Asia. "But I definitely wouldn't want to. But, I think it'll be fun. It'll be great."
For now, he's giving his best to Pelita Jaya, like that 26-12 double-double performance against Mongolia.
"I definitely enjoy being in the atmosphere where the fans love basketball and they're passionate about it and with the team, it's just been all great," Brownlee said.
He also has plenty of praise for Indonesian stars Brandon Jawato and Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa.
"Those guys definitely have a really good skill set as a point guard and then, Jawato is a really good shooter. You could tell they got a lot of experience with the way they play the game, very smart on the court," JB added.
Pelita Jaya will return to action on Saturday, April 6, against Singapore's Adroit club to close Group B action.
Round 2 will start on April 23 back in Jakarta, Indonesia.